Tummy Tuck Orange County

Full or Standard Tummy Tuck or Abdominoplasty procedure:

Dr B. Kalantarian is board certified in plastic surgery by the American board of plastic surgery in Orange County, California with more than a decade of experience in performing this type of procedure. Our goal is to focus on the safety of the patient and make every attempt to give the patient the best result possible. The procedure is done under general anesthesia by a board certified anesthesiologist in a fully accredited outpatient surgery center in healthy patients. An incision is made from hip to hip depending on the amount of excess skin that needs to be removed. The incision is done very low in the pubic hair line along the bikini line in order to hide it easily. Once the incision is healed completely, it will become lighter than your skin color and less visible. The dissection is taken down to the level of abdominal muscle fascia and the flap is elevated and the belly button (umbilicus) is released from the surrounding tissue. In addition, the abdominal musculature is tightened to create a more flatter or in some cases a caved in abdominal wall contour. A high Lateral tension Tummy tuck which is an advanced technique is often performed by tightening the abdominal wall muscle in multiple orientation rather than just in vertical axis to create a more of an hour glass shape in the waist. It is almost always done simultaneously with liposuction of the waist and or some transition areas. The goal is to contour the entire anterior abdominal region as a whole and create a better looking umbilicus with a better curve at the waist line region by removing the excess skin, repositioning and reshaping the belly button and tightening of the abdominal wall musculature in more than one axis (vertical and horizontal or oblique).

Ideal candidates for abdominoplasy:

Presence of excess skin in the central and lower abdominal region in men and women (excess skin normally is not eliminated with weight loss and or exercise and require excision).

Poor abdominal wall contour or seperation of the midline abdominal wall muscles that may have resulted from pregnancy or significant weight loss and or lack of activity.

Women with above criteria must have no plans for future pregnancy or at least in the near future (each individual situation must be assessed).

Must in a relatively good health (no cardiac, respiratory, renal, and central nervous system morbidity or bleeding disorder).

Tummy Tuck Before & After Client’s Photos

Mini Tummy Tuck or Minimal incision Abdominoplasty:

A mini tummy tuck is done when the patient’s abdominal excess skin is limited to the lower abdomen (below the belly button) and the abdominal contour above the umbilicus is relatively good (absence of a protruding abdominal wall or separation of abdominal muscle above the umbilicus). The procedure is done in the same setting as the standard Abdominoplasty. However, in general the incision is much shorter (depending on each individual patients) and the incision is kept very low, the umbilicus is left intact (in some cases a floating umbilicus may have to be created, the umbilicus is released from the muscle). In most cases tightening of the lower abdominal musculature is performed below the belly button if no floating umbilicus is created and in almost all cases liposuction is required to eliminate the excess fat in the upper abdomen and the waist line region.

Extended Tummy Tuck or Abdominoplasty:

Extended abdominoplasy is done in the same setting as the standard tummy tuck. This procedure is similar to the standard Abdominoplasty with addition of excision of excess skin and fat along the waist line or “love Handle” region. The same procedure as tummy tuck is performed plus elimination of the excess fold of skin and fat along the waist line region. The incision or scar is extended beyond the hip to a segment of lower back to eliminate the excess “love handle”. The procedure achieves all the reshaping and re-contouring of the a standard Abdominoplasty plus a better looking waist and possibly lifting the upper lateral thigh.

Tummy Tuck

Instructions before the procedure and Recovery:

The patient must avoid any medication that may thin the blood (e.g. aspirin or ibuprofen products, alcohol, Vitamin E., Fish oil, etc.) 10 days before and 3 weeks after the surgery. The dietary regimen should be modified to minimize weight gain (a low carbohydrate diet is recommended). During the consultation depending on the patient’s age and their medical history will determine the need for medical clearance. You need to avoid any activity that causes an increase in your blood pressure or heart rate for at least 3 weeks. Every 2 hours during the day, you need to walk bent over (to minimize tension on the incision which will optimize the appearance of the scar) for 3-4 minutes for about 2 weeks (to avoid blood clots in the legs); subsequently you can start walking with an erect posture during the third week after the surgery. Strenuous activities (lifting, pushing, pulling heavy objects, or any activity that strains your abdominal wall muscles) should be avoided for about 2 months. You will need to see Dr. Kalantarian after the surgery for post operative follow up the day after the surgery, about 7-14 days after that then at 1 month, 3 months and 4 months from the date of surgery. A written pre and post operative instructions will be provided to you at the time of your pre-operative testing. Call our office at 714-444-4495 or send us an e consult form for a complimentary consultation with Dr Kalantarian.

FLEUR-DE-LYS ABDOMINOPLASTY

Majority of the patients who have lost a significant amount of weight (over 75 or 100 pounds) with diet and exercise or after a weight loss procedure will develop excess skin in horizontal and vertical distribution of the abdomen (from sternum to the pubic area). In order to eliminate the excess skin from upper and lower abdomen, an incision is required from hip to hip with another incision in the center of the abdomen form pubic area to a level below the breast fold (a Fleur-De-Lys or an inverted T scar). The umbilicus will be repositioned at the appropriate level within the midline incision. Some cases will require an incision that will extend to the lower back (beyond the hip) similar to an extended tummy tuck scar or all the way around the lower abdomen and lower back (Belt lipectomy or circumferential abdominoplsty)